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Mulungu

A Brazilian bark (Erythrina mulungu/verna) sold as a natural anxiolytic and sleep aid, but the only two human trials are in dental surgery patients and the larger, better-designed one found it no better than placebo. Interesting alkaloid pharmacology, essentially no clinical support.

What the science says

  • Reduces situational anxiety Limited evidence

    The best trial randomized 200 patients to Passiflora incarnata 500 mg, Erythrina mulungu 500 mg, midazolam 15 mg, or placebo 60 minutes before third-molar extraction: Passiflora matched midazolam, while mulungu was explicitly reported as unable to control anxiety and did not separate from placebo. An earlier 30-person crossover using the same 500 mg dose found only that patients subjectively preferred the mulungu period, with no difference in blood pressure, heart rate, or oxygen saturation.

  • Improves sleep Limited evidence

    There are no human sleep trials of mulungu at any dose — no polysomnography, no actigraphy, not even a validated sleep questionnaire. The sleep claim is extrapolated from sedative-like behavior in rodents and from the plant's traditional use as a calming tea.

  • Anticonvulsant and muscle-relaxant activity Limited evidence

    Isolated Erythrina alkaloids (erythravine, 11-alpha-hydroxyerythravine, erythrartine) block nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and raise seizure threshold in mouse models at 3-30 mg/kg. This is real pharmacology, but it is also the basis of the safety concern — these are structurally curare-like compounds, and none has been dosed in humans.

Dosage & safety

Studied doseBoth published human trials used a single 500 mg dose of dried bark extract taken 60 minutes before the stressful event. Traditional preparation is a decoction of roughly 1-3 g of dried bark, once to three times daily. No chronic dosing schedule has been tested in humans, and commercial capsules (300-1000 mg) are rarely standardized to any marker alkaloid.
SafetyShort-term single doses were well tolerated in both dental trials, with no change in blood pressure, heart rate, or oxygen saturation. The theoretical concern is real: erythrina alkaloids are nicotinic receptor antagonists related to curare and produce neuromuscular blockade in animals at high doses, so avoid stacking with other sedatives, alcohol, benzodiazepines, or antihypertensives. Traditional use as an abortifacient plus a complete absence of reproductive data means it should be avoided in pregnancy and breastfeeding. No study has followed anyone taking mulungu for more than a few weeks, so nothing is known about liver effects or dependence.

Scientific references

Where to buy

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